Memories of Her
by Liza Taylor
Summary: She touched so many lives. So many hopes and dreams were entrusted to her by so many people. However, no matter how many promises she made...how many people she touched, all that's left of her are memories. One-shots from Social Link characters(main focus on non-SEES) POV reactions to finding out about Minako's death.
1. Maiko

**Welcome to Memories of Her. This will be a series of one-shots that shows how the various social link characters (focusing a lot on the non-SEES members) react to finding out the death of Minako along with coping and such. Anyway, first chapter is for Maiko!**

Maiko rocked back and forth on her heels. She looked down at the nice new blue dress she had made her mother buy just for this day. She sucked in a deep breath. "You can do it Maiko," she whispered to herself.

Right on cue, the bell signaling the end of the school day for Gekkoukan High School rang. This was it! She turned to watch as students began walking out of the building and out the gate. Maiko rocked back and forth on her heels as she scanned the crowd for a familiar ponytail and silver hair barrettes.

Maiko had been waiting forever for this day. It's been a few months since she had moved in with her mother in another town. She had come back for the week to spend some time with her father and catch up on things. However her mother wasn't the only reason why Maiko had been excited to visit Iwatodai.

She didn't know how long she stood there by the school gate but soon the amount of people coming out slowed to a trickle and then to a stop. She frowned. There was no way Maiko could have missed her. She had her eyes peeled and she had checked everyone who had worn a girl's uniform.

"She's probably at an after school activity," Maiko told herself. She was very involved from what Maiko could recall. "She'll be out soon." She touched her braid buns to make sure they were alright before she sat on the ground next to the school gate. She had told her mother she would be out all day to catch up with friends from her old elementary school so Maiko did have time. "Hopefully she'll come out soon…"

Maiko didn't know how long she waited. Students would come out every now and then but it was never her. "Maybe she didn't go to school today…" murmured Maiko after what was probably the fiftieth time.

"Hey, are you waiting for someone?"

Maiko looked up to see a female student looking down at her. She had short light brown hair that barely touched the base of her neck and a white choker designed with a heart around her neck. A pink sweater was tied around her waist.

"Uh yes." Maiko got her feet and dusted herself off. She put her arms behind her back and looked to the side. "Umm, I was wondering…is Minako Arisato still in school? I've been waiting for and…" She trailed off. The expression on the student's face was so odd.

"Are…are you Maiko by any chance?"

Maiko's eyes widen. How did this girl know her? "Yes I am."

A hand went to the student's mouth and she took a few deep breaths before smiling. "My name is Yukari Takeba. I was a friend to Minako."

Oh! Maiko had run into a friend of hers! What luck! She probably knew where Minako was.

"Come…come with me. I'll…I'll take you to Minako."

Why was she talking so funny? However it looked like staying here was no good. "Uh okay." Maiko checked her braid buns before following Yukari away from the school. "How did you know my name?"

"Minako talked about you a lot," Yukari replied. "She said you were a good girl and was very bright and cheerful."

Wow! Maiko couldn't believe that Minako would talk about her to her older friends. "Minako talked a bit about her friends in school too. Not too much though…"

The station now in sight, she glanced over at Yukari in confusion. Where were they going?

"We need to go to the shrine," explained Yukari.

Oh! Of course! The shrine! That was where she had met Minako! Duh! It would have been better to go there first instead of the school. Maybe she had contacted Yukari and Yukari was taking her to see Minako.

They reached the platform just as the train was pulling in. The girls hopped on and off they went to the shrine. Maiko rocked back and forth on her heels as she watched the city pass on by. This was taking so long! She wished this was a super-fast train that would get them there instantly. She looked over at Yukari but the older girl looked like she was lost in thought so Maiko returned her attention to the scenery.

Soon enough the train pulled into the station. Maiko was the first one out and she took off running a bit towards the shrine.

"Maiko. I need to tell you something before you see Minako," Yukari said as she quickly caught up with Maiko with her longer legs.

"Uh okay…" Maiko paused in mid-step.

"Let's keep walking and talking." Yukari sucked in a deep breath. "A couple months ago…Minako was fighting. She was fighting…an evil, let's just put it like that."

"Oh wow really?" Maiko's eyes widen. Wow! Minako was amazing!

"Yeah." Yukari nodded with a smile. "She was amazing. Anyway, while she was fighting this evil…she won in a sense."

Maiko grinned. Of course Minako won! She was Maiko's amazing older sister after all! She could take on anything and win!

"However…everything didn't go as planned." They had reached the top of the steps.

Maiko looked over at the playground on the left where she had met up with Minako so many times in the past. She wasn't there though. She turned to Yukari. "What do you mean that everything didn't go as planned?"

"Minako, I know, wouldn't want me to lie to you. She would want you to know the truth no matter how sad it can be."

Maiko stared at Yukari. What…what was she talking about?

"Follow me." Yukari led Maiko to the side of the shrine. Maiko knew there were graves on that side so she never went over there. "Minako fought to keep her promise. The promise to meet again on the roof for graduation day….she fought with everything she had and well….that was the only promise she could keep…"

Maiko felt the world around her stop as Yukari stood in front of a grave. Fresh flowers lay at the base. "What…" She stood in front of the grave, her eyes reading the words on the gravestone over and over. "No! You're lying! This isn't true!" She glared at Yukari. She…she was tricking her! This was just a sick joke! It wasn't true!

"I'm sorry Maiko….I'm sorry I couldn't lie to you…" Yukari's face was stricken with grief as she looked away.

Maiko didn't even know she fell to the ground until she felt the pebbles dig into her thighs. She sucked in a few deep breaths but at the same time she couldn't. Her vision blurred as tears began leaking out from her eyes. "You…promised," Maiko whispered through her tears. "You promised that we would see each other again when I visited. You promised to take me out to get a hamburger…"

Maiko's words trailed off to full-blown sobs. She felt Yukari's arms wrap around her. "I know this is hard," whispered Yukari. "I miss her too. I'm sorry…I'm sorry I couldn't break it to you a different way."

Maiko was barely paying attention to Yukari anymore. She just cried. There was nothing else she wanted to do in the moment. So she cried.


	2. Mutatsu

**Finally got around to writing another one-shot! ^-^. This time it is Mutatsu's turn. **

Mutatsu put a hand on his back as he finally made it to the top of the incredibly long staircase to the shrine. He did not remember last time being so difficult. Did they add more steps to get up here since three years ago? No way. The shrine had not changed for years. "Dang, the old age is getting to me," he chuckled to himself.

He took a couple of deep breaths and straightened his monk robes. He had to look presentable to the monk that now took care of this shrine. After he had spoken and connected to his family again, he had begun work as a monk in a shrine closer to them so they could talk and get out all of their problems. He had jumped on the chance to visit the shrine in Iwatodai. Although he had come here to run away from his problems, he had gotten some great memories out of here as well.

Smiling to himself, he shook his head. Honestly, it was probably asking for too much to see Minako again. That girl had probably moved on with her life and went to college or whatever kids these days did after high school. He would just be taking a trip to Club Escapade after this. For old time's sake. He was not expecting to see her.

Mutatsu focused on the monk that was coming towards him. After the pleasantries and introductions were done, the head monk began leading Mutatsu to the shrine itself. The grounds looked the exact same from three years ago. It was like this place was in a standstill. "You keep this place very clean."

"We try to," replied the monk.

Seeing a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, Mutatsu turned his head to see a white Shiba Inu walking towards the cemetery part of the shrine grounds. "Isn't that dog the one the previous monk had? Visiting his old master is he?"

The monk nodded. "Yes, that is the same dog. However, he isn't visiting the grave of the previous monk. He had been taken in by a high school student." He shook his head sadly. "That was a tragedy. The girl had just graduated her second year of high school too. Cause of death was unknown too."

Mutatsu frowned. A second year high school student? And a girl on top of that? Maybe Minako knew the girl. He could remember a few times in his drunk stupors that she had talked about girls in her grade. "Do you remember the name of the girl?"

The monk nodded. "Yes. Many people come by to visit her grave. Minako Arisato is her name."

Mutatsu stared at the monk for a few moments. His brain was struggling to process what the monk had just said. Minako…Arisato… No way. The girl that had helped him re-kindle the relationship with his family… that was the girl that…

"Are you alright Mutatsu-san?" the monk asked in concern.

Mutatsu shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." He coughed. "Why don't we continue?"

The monk was watching Mutatsu in concern but he nodded and continued walking towards the shrine.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Mutatsu began walking in the direction of the cemetery with a bag in hand. It didn't take him long to find her grave. The white dog was lying down next to it. When he heard Mutatsu approach, the dog lifted his head and stared at Mutatsu with ruby red eyes.

As if a silent message passed between the two of them, the dog got to his feet and began walking away from her grave. He stopped a few steps away and looked back at Mutatsu and lowered his head slightly before continuing to walk away.

"Dang, your dog is smart," commented Mutatsu as he reached her grave. He sat down cross-legged in front of it. "Of course, you were always a smart one. I really don't know how you managed to listen to the ramblings of an old man so often. I would have tired of myself by then."

He dug into the bag and pulled out a sake bottle and two cups. He rested one of the cups at the base of the grave before pouring some sake into it. "You were always different than all of the other high schoolers I saw at the Club. Pretty much a straight arrow you were, well at least until you went and got me a drink that one time."

He chuckled to himself as he poured a drink into the other cup. "I never thought I would be having some deep conversations with a high school student, that was for sure." He put down the sake bottle on the ground next to him and lifted his cup into the air in a toast. "Here's to your first drink as an adult!" he said cheerfully as he tilted the sake cup and drank all of the liquid in one swing. His cheerful expression and he looked down at the grave sadly. "Sorry young lady but I think I'm going to get drunk in front of you again." He grabbed the sake bottle and poured himself another drink.


	3. Hidetoshi

**Here is the next one-shot! This one is about Hidetoshi! ^-^ I'm hoping I was able to do this one well. For some reason it was very difficult to write his story.**

Hidetoshi paced back and forth in the student council room. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently before resuming his pacing. Chihiro and the rest of the student council were sitting at the table, going about some last minute student council duties for the year.

Where in the world was their student council president? It was already bad enough that Mitsuru had run away from the graduation ceremony in the middle of her speech while spouting nonsense. To make matters worse she had not even swung by the student council room after the ceremony was over. He looked over at the untouched cider bottle and glasses on the table. They were going to have a mini-celebration to Mitsuru graduating but it looked like that might not happen in the end. Now that he was thinking about it, Minako wasn't here either. That was very odd.

"Where in the world are they?" snapped Hidetoshi.

"Maybe something came up?" piped up Chihiro.

Hidetoshi pulled out his phone. Nothing. No texts from Mitsuru or Minako. Where in the world did they go? What in the world were they doing?

"Is…is that an ambulance?"

Hidetoshi saw the vice president standing near the window. He walked over and looked out. His eyes narrowed as he saw the bright head of Mitsuru's hair out there along with some other students. From what he could remember they were the students that lived in the same dorm as her. He couldn't really tell what was going on from the second floor but it looked like the blond female student-Aigis was her name right?- was carrying someone to the ambulance.

"I'm going to go check it out," Hidetoshi moved away from the window and headed for the door. Hoepfully whoever was being taken in the ambulance wasn't terribly hurt or anything. Once he reached the first floor he saw a bunch of students were gathered there, all murmuring and talking to themselves. What in the world?

Hidetoshi groaned inwardly as he began pushing through the crowd. "Excuse me! Member of the Disciplinary Committee. Let me through!" Once he made it to the front though, it looked like it was too late. The ambulance had driven away and all of the students that were with Mitusuru were gone as well.

He made a tsk sound and grabbed the arm of a nearby student. It turned out to be a girl with black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She was in the tennis club right? He paused in mid-thought when he saw the eyes of the girl. They were bright red and tears were pouring down her face. "I'm Hidetoshi from the Disciplinary Committee. What happened here? I saw a student get carried to the ambulance."

The girl sucked in a deep breath and her eyes were wide in the shock of whatever she had seen. "It…it was Minako Arisato."

Hidetoshi cocky attitude faded instantly. "What? Minako?" He remembered seeing her the day before. She looked fine. A bit tired but she said she wasn't sleeping properly but she looked fine other than that.

"She…she looked so still in Aigis-chan's arms…" whispered Rio. "She did not look like she was breathing. And the way they all looked-the people that lived in the same dorm as her, they looked so…heartbroken and sad…" She trailed off and a hand over her mouth in a way to try to control her emotions.

Hidetoshi was struggling to comprehend what was going on. Minako was probably fine. She had probably collapsed from exhaustion, that was all. However, the way this girl in front of him was reacting and way she described the dorm mates, he had a feeling it wasn't so.

* * *

A couple of days later Hidetoshi walked out of the school gym. He was in shock. There was no other way to describe the swirling emotions he felt. She was fine. She had been fine a couple days ago. The school had performed a ceremony to commemorate her but Hidetoshi still could not believe it. She could not be gone.

"I was waiting for your answer Minako," he said to himself with a shake of his head. "I was waiting to get your answer once I was worthy of you. Looks like I ended up getting it after all huh?" He rubbed his eyes. "You were always jumping into things without thinking. Always putting yourself in bad situations and I need to defend you afterwards."

He rubbed his eyes some more. However, the tears that were forcing their way out of his eyes would not be pushed back. They started streaking down his face and no matter how much he tried to pushed them back, they would not stop.

.I'll become the best teacher in the world," he whispered. He rubbed his eyes and crossed his arms and looked up at the sky and forced a small smug smile to cross his face. "Just watch me okay Minako? I will become worthy of you one day."


	4. Rio

**Here's Rio's chapter! And a bit of Yuko thrown in. ^-^**

Rio stretched her arms over her head as she walked out of the gym. That was a long graduation ceremony. It had gotten even longer when Mitsuru ran out along with some second years muttering about something or other. She hoped everything was okay…

"Hey Rio!" Yuko pushed through the crowd of students milling outside the gym as she made her way over to her friend. "Long ceremony huh?"

"Yeah," agreed Rio with a smile. Even though the ceremony was for the third-years, she still felt sad. A lot of people were graduating, including some members of the tennis club. There was going to be a graduation party for them later on tonight.

Thinking of the party though, Rio thought of her co-runner for it. Minako. Where in the world was she? Rio did not remember seeing her at the graduation ceremony. What also was weird was that Minako had brought the stuff over for the party last night. The copper-haired student had looked incredibly exhausted and her eyes were filled with something Rio could not place. She had insisted she was fine but Rio had her doubts.

Maybe she was just sick in bed for the day. That would make sense right?

"Well, we should get going to the karaoke place and set up," Yuko said while she shrugged. "No point in us hanging around here."

Rio nodded. Yeah. They needed to get to the karaoke place early and get it all decorated and set up for the graduating seniors. "Yeah, let's do that."

The two girls began walking towards the school gate but the sound of sirens made them pause. Rio's eyes widen as she saw an ambulance pull up in front of the school gate.

"What is going on!?" exclaimed Yuko.

"Coming through!" came a voice from behind them.

Rio moved out of the way to see the student council president run by followed by a couple of second year students and Akihiko. Rio's eyes widen when she saw the girl in Aigis's arms. Minako. The usually chipper and bright student was pale and still in Aigis's arms. Also Rio was not even sure if Minako was even breathing. The other thing that shocked her were the expressions on everyone's face. They looked so…confused….so heartbroken. What was going on here?

"That was Minako wasn't it!?" Yuko cried out after they had passed.

Rio could barely pay attention as the first response team got to work to put Minako on a stretcher and take her to the hospital. Her thoughts were focused on everyone's expressions and how still Minako looked. Her thoughts raced to last night. Minako had looked so tired then. If Rio had made her go the hospital then…

She didn't register the student grabbing her shoulder at first. He began speaking about how he was a member of the disciplinary committee and he wanted to know what was going on. Rio struggled to comprehend and voice her thoughts on the matter. She didn't know if she was successful or not but his shocked expression told her that he did.

"She's fine…" he murmured. "She has to be fine…"

Rio rubbed her eyes. She didn't realize how many tears had already fallen. They wouldn't stop though. No matter how much she rubbed them, the tears would not stop pouring out of her eyes.

* * *

A couple of days later, the ceremony had taken place for Minako's sudden passing.

Rio sat numbly in her chair. Her thoughts kept going to the night before the graduation ceremony. If she had said something…if she had insisted that Minako get some rest…would this have happened? Would she still be gone?

She could hear Mitsuru on stage speaking but Rio could not hear any of it. Her thoughts were still on that night. That night…that night…

"Rio." Yuko's hand wrapped around her friend's tightly. "I don't know what you are thinking about but you need to stop it. Minako would not want you to beat yourself up over this."

Rio opened her mouth to protest Yuko's words but she stopped. No. That was the truth. Minako would not want her to put all of the blame on herself. It was like her overthinking and pushing the tennis club to the point where they wanted to leave. She was overthinking this far too much.

_"Sorry Minako…"_ Rio rubbed her eyes and forced herself to stand tall and listen to Mitsuru's speech. Minako would not want her to be a big cry baby. She would want Rio to stand tall and rely on others. "Thanks Yuko," she whispered.

Yuko bit her lip and smiled back at Rio. Her eyes were starting to turn red and Rio could see the hint of tears at the edge of her friend's eyes. She realized in shock that Yuko was holding back for her sake. She wrapped her arms around her friend. This time she would be strong for another. However she could not stop the tears from creeping out of her own eyes.


End file.
